Aug 5, 2016 5 min read

This is becoming a habit.

For the fifth time since 2010, Johnstown qualified a team for the Pony League World Series by winning the Host Area tournament, and each time the B. Hale Boilers have played competitively in the opening round in Washington before fading in the late innings and finding victory elusive.

It happened again Friday night as East Zone champion Chesterfield, Va., used home runs by two unlikely sources and some aggressive baserunning to defeat Johnstown, 14-4, at Lew Hays Pony Field.

Darren Stanford, the No. 9 hitter in Chesterfield’s batting order, smacked a three-run homer in a six-run fourth inning that broke open a close game. After Johnstown pulled to within 7-4, Ty Garner, who entered the game a half-inning earlier as a defensive replacement at third base, hit a long two-run homer to cap Chesterfield’s three-run sixth.

Chesterfield also stole six bases in seven attempts, including a double steal that scored a run in the sixth inning.

“Every team is different,” Johnstown manager Josh Day said. “We’ve been here as a coaching staff for nine years, but every year is a different set of kids. … Historically, we have struggled on opening night but we’ve come back and battled on Day 2. I hope to do that this year.”

Because of the win, Chesterfield has the weekend off as it does not play again until 5:30 p.m. Monday against either Chinese Taipei or Los Mochis, Mexico.

“We have to get some practice in, maybe see the sites, go to a (Pittsburgh) Pirates game Saturday night,” Chesterfield manager Ashley Arrowood said of his team’s plans.

Johnstown will attempt to stay alive in the double-elimination pool play when it meets Peters Township Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Johnstown defeated Peters Township Monday in the championship game of the Host Area tournament. Peters Township replaced the Dominican Republic when the Caribbean Zone champion had visa problems and pulled out of the series Tuesday.

Chesterfield, which won the 11-year-old Bronco World Series in 2013, took a 1-0 lead only four batters into the game. After a flyout to start the game, Christian Chambers, Jay Woolfolk and Ethan Tannuzzi hit consecutive singles off Johnstown starting pitcher Carson Ertter to produce the game’s first run. Chambers scored from second base on Tannuzzi’s chopper up the middle.

Johnstown answered three batters into the bottom of the first inning when Ertter went the opposite way with a pitch from Chesterfield’s Brandon Arrowood and cleared the outfield fence, just inside the left-field foul pole, for a solo home run.

The score remained 1-1 until the fourth, when Chesterfield broke open the game with the six-run inning. The key blow was the three-run homer – a line drive that landed on the hillside beyond the right-field fence – with one out by Stanford that made it 4-1. Chambers and Tannuzzi each hit a run-scoring double in the big inning for the East Zone champion.

“We don’t have just nine guys, we don’t have subs. What we have are gamechangers,” Ashley Arrowood said. “We can put anyone in the game and have confidence in them. Our guys are chomping at the bit to get in the game.”

Johnstown pulled to within 7-4 in the fourth when singles by Jake Shope and Ertter were followed by Mark Marino’s three-run homer to right field.

Chesterfield, however, regained the momentum by scoring three times in the sixth to take a 10-4 lead. The first run came on a double steal as Woolfolk swiped home as Tannuzzi was thrown out trying to steal second base. Three batters later, Garner, in his first at-bat of the game, drilled a two-run homer to straightaway center field.

The game got away from Johnstown in the seventh as it committed five errors that led to three Chesterfield runs.

Woolfolk replaced Arrowood on the mound in the fifth and threw three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit. He faced 10 batters and retired nine, including seven via strikeout.

“We use Woolfolk in a variety of ways,” Ashley Arrowood said. “He’s one of four starting pitchers but we’ll use him in (middle) relief like we did tonight and we’ll use him close games.”

Woolfolk and Jack Anderson led Chesterfield’s 13-hit attack, eaching going 3-for-4 with two runs.

Kaden Kolson of Washington County won the Home Run Derby during the skills competition held Friday morning. He edged Peters Township’s John Salvitti 3-2 in a tiebreaker round. … Alan Villarreal, of Laredo, Texas, won the Fastest Baserunner competition. Villarreal circled the bases in 13.74 seconds. … The Los Mochis, Mexico, team arrived in Washington after making a bus trip of more than 2,300 miles. … The umpire crews are from Washington and Allegheny counties and Youngstown, Ohio. … The 5:30 p.m. game today between Chinese Taipei and Los Mochis will be televised live by WPNT.